Cockrell the Free Safety

[Rocky Davis]

I thought Cockrell had been looking pretty decent back there from all the reports?  Gaulden not so much; therefore, Cockrell is ahead of Gaulden on the depth chart and behind the other corners at CB. 

If they want Cockrell back at S full time he better want to start laying the wood.

[panthers55]

I am looking forward to the preseason to see how the FS position shakes out. I figure that we must have good candidates among the 90 we brought to camp.  All this angst over 1 position seems overblown.  We brought in Eric in September and this is still July. Plenty of time to bring in a vet if we don't find someone to take over. I am excited we are looking at Cockrell. 

[Eazy-E]

Just sign Boston already. Yeah he isn't great but he actually plays free safety. Please no more converted corners Hurney, Thanks.

Boston is always posting stuff on IG hanging with current and former Panthers around Charlotte. He would fit in the locker room like he never left. My guess is that it is an attitude / effort issue that Rivera doesn't want to deal with. 

[Snake]

9 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Athleticism isn't everything, but we draft too many athletic outliers IMO. Funchess ran a 4.7 40 as a WR. Little had a 25" vertical and poor agility drill showings. Gaulden tested as one of if not the poorest athlete among his DB class. I get it, you get a feeling for a particular guy every now and then and take a chance, but IMO we do it too often.

With Hurney we will do it every year. He just can't resist it. Just like the QB he fell in love with the season before last. With Hurney the only thing you can hope is his FA ability outweighs his drafting blunders. 

[DaveThePanther2008]

IMO the FA safeties either wanted more than we were willing to spend or were not much better than what is currently on our roster.

I think what bothers me the most is how they hyped up Gaulden and less than a week into camp he's already been demoted.

I am not like many on this board that believe a player can't learn a new position.  If Cockrell has the tools to play the position than why not let him learn it.  Sure there is a huge learning curve but in the long run it may be better than a cast off from another team.

I am sure the FO is looking at every option including the upcoming dumpster sale at the end of August. 

[LinvilleGorge]

2 minutes ago, DaveThePanther2008 said:

I think what bothers me the most is how they hyped up Gaulden and less than a week into camp he's already been demoted.

Well, it's not like they can exactly tell the truth when asked about the FS position. The truth? The evidence of our actions as a franchise points to:

[Seltzer]

It seems like Rivera wants to have safeties, specifically FS, that can also function as a nickel CB on any given play.

I think this plays into the new defensive scheme and being able to disguise the coverage.

The fact that Gaulden, Cockrell, and Cole Luke have been getting looks in camp only serves to reinforce that.

For his flaws, Rivera is a very good defensive mind and coach.  I think Corn Elder or someone else will be the nickle CB on obvious passing downs, but I could see the other guys being used more in the base defense.

I'm still on board with bringing in another true FS, but it does seem Rivera wants to blur the lines between the FS/nickle CB role on this team for the base defense.

[DaveThePanther2008]

30 minutes ago, Seltzer said:

It seems like Rivera wants to have safeties, specifically FS, that can also function as a nickel CB on any given play.

I think this plays into the new defensive scheme and being able to disguise the coverage.

The fact that Gaulden, Cockrell, and Cole Luke have been getting looks in camp only serves to reinforce that.

For his flaws, Rivera is a very good defensive mind and coach.  I think Corn Elder or someone else will be the nickle CB on obvious passing downs, but I could see the other guys being used more in the base defense.

I'm still on board with bringing in another true FS, but it does seem Rivera wants to blur the lines between the FS/nickle CB role on this team for the base defense.

While I agree that we will bring one in. I am not sure they'll be any better than what we have.

[archer4364]

poo, haven't 100% been paying attention to camp reports. Gaulden really struggling that much?